Windermere Vote Stirs Lake Parking Furor

WINDERMERE — The controversy over parking near the Lake Down boat ramp is heating up again since the town decided to restrict all vehicles to the north side of Conroy-Windermere Road.

By 4 to 1, the council voted Tuesday night to limit parking to improve safety near the ramp that gives boaters access to the Butler Chain of Lakes.

The parking restriction takes effect immediately. Boaters only will be able to leave their vehicles and trailers on the north side of the road from the ramp east to the town limits, which is just beyond Down Point Lane. Vehicles parked on the south side would be towed.

''I think it's hazardous to have boat trailers on both sides of the road. I think it's our responsibility to act before there is an accident and not react after an accident and this seems to be the most logical and safest way to handle it,'' said Councilwoman Gail Lacy, who made the motion.

The council said it hoped the county would cooperate in trying to reduce the risk by limiting parking also in the unincorporated area.

But that is not very likely. The town's move only promises that the controversy over the parking and the possible construction of a new ramp on the lake will continue, said County Commissioner Hal Marston.

''I thought you indicated we'd be able to work out some kind of a solution to this but this is not an alternative. We're going to need some cooperation on this. But if you pass this, I guarantee you're going to get an argument on this from the county commission and from me,'' he told Windermere council members at their meeting Tuesday night.

The limitation on parking is exactly what some boaters feared would happen when Windermere annexed 29 acres along Conroy-Windermere in July.

''They're really going out of the way to give us a hard time. I think they're upset with the county, so I guess they're just trying to get back. But it certainly isn't fair,'' said Kevin Klein, a boater who frequently uses the ramp.

He thinks it will make traffic worse and conditions more dangerous because people will have to walk on the roadway for a longer distance.

But to help ease the expected burden, the town will try to work out an agreement with the owner of the 29 acres to clear a strip of the property to provide temporary parking, Marston said Mayor Kim Barley told him on Wednesday.

Because of the cost involved, the county abandoned a proposal to use a dead orange grove on the south side of Conroy-Windermere for temporary parking. It would cost $15,000 an acre to clear the grove and haul in clay, according to staff estimates.

Windermere and the county have been bickering for the past several years over the hazardous parking situation at the ramp. Because of the heavy boat traffic, the town prohibited all parking along the road right of way when the town boundary was just west of the lake. That forced boaters to park further east in the unincorporated area.

The location of the ramp and nearby parking is a hot issue because the Butler Chain is a popular spot, attracting almost 200 boats at the ramp on some weekends during the summer.

The argument between the two governments started heating up again this year when the commission decided to construct a new ramp and parking lot on Lake Down and the town annexed the proposed site. Windermere officials and many residents around the lake argue that Lake Down is not the best spot for the ramp because traffic is hazardous on the busy, two-lane road.

To appease the town, the commission appointed a five-member committee last month to look for an alternate site. Windermere officials have said they would not oppose the spot on Lake Down if another suitable place could not be found. The committee, which held its first meeting Monday night, is expected to make its recommendation near the end of November.

''I guarantee you'll get a public furor on this'' if you do not wait until the boat traffic decreases, Marston told the council.

But town officials said now is the perfect time because the number of boaters are starting to drop. Besides, more waiting would just prolong the town's liability, they said.

If access to the chain is limited, federal funds used to help maintain the quality of the water in the lakes will be jeopardized. There are groups prepared to go to court to stop the money if that happens. ''And I believe they can do it based on what our attorney has told us,'' Marston said.

Councilman Bill Bardoe, who cast the only dissenting vote, agrees with Marston. And he charged that Windermere is simply catering to the wishes of the backers of the huge Islesworth development, which abuts the south side of Conroy-Windermere near the ramp.

''I think all we're doing out there is protecting Islesworth's front door and I'm tired of this town being Islesworth's stepchild. And I don't think the exchange is fair when it comes to our reputation,'' he said.

This solution ''is not for the public good but it's for their good, I guess,'' said Klein, who was chosen as chairman of the search committee. ''It will definitely deter people from wanting to use the ramp.''